All in the Telling
Monday night is the first night of the Jewish holiday Passover. For those of you who may not be familiar, Passover commemorates the exodus of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt in ancient times.
Like most holidays – Jewish and otherwise – Passover entails massive amounts of eating (in this case, probably to make up for the 40 years the Jews wandered around the desert during the exodus). This is particularly true on the first two nights of the eight-day observance, when families sit down to a feast known as a Seder. But Passover is not only rich in calories; it’s also rich in lore. Even the traditional matzo ball soup takes a second seat to the retelling of the Passover story about how God and Moses got together to lead the Hebrews to safety. The story itself is the centerpiece of the Passover celebration, with everyone around the table taking turns reading aloud until the tale is completed just before dessert is served. Along the way, certain rituals are performed, and although every family has their own way of making it theirs, we all arrive at the same place eventually, having just recounted the story of how we all got here. And then, besides looking for the hidden matzo, we spend just as much time trying to find the nearest heartburn medicine to counter the results of too much Jewish cuisine.
If you stop and think about it, retelling is the essence of history and tradition. It keeps the past poignant and relevant, and at least for holiday occasions, brings families together.
Next Friday will be Good Friday, the prelude to Easter Sunday. As long-time readers of this column know, in the Weiner household we celebrate both Passover and Easter. While our Passover tradition is the Seder meal, Easter Sunday is an Easter egg hunt, followed by Easter brunch. While these holidays have their religious origins, what resonates most with me are the traditional aspects, whatever they may be. I relish seeing families create and perpetuate their own individual traditions.
It seems that retelling is in the cards for me this month. Just a couple of days ago, I had the opportunity to recount (not an accounting pun) how Marcum grew up in the accounting industry and how we continue to apply the same basic principles that allowed us to grow and thrive to ensure that we continue to be successful for our clients and our firm today. Anyone who’s interested can listen to The CEO Show podcast here.
For those of you who observe either Passover or Easter, on behalf of everyone at Marcum, I wish you very happy holidays.
In observance of Good Friday next week we won’t be publishing. See you all in two weeks.
